Parachute harness



Filed Sept 8, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet l Fig 1 Mega;- Z ttorne Dec. 20, 1938. a. H. KNIGHT 2,141,041

PARACHUTE HARNESS Fild Sept. s, 1956 s Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 20, 1938; s. H. KNIGHT 9111110111111: HARNESS Filed Sept. 8, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet s Poems poem, 193e j "e emies September 4 Claims.

The present harnessmay be used very advantageouslywhene the pack is not attached-normallyto the body of'the person who is to use the 1 parachute, or to a parachute harness worn by 5. him, and where the pack may be secured to the parachute harness only as and when the parachute a m be used. n has a sliding strap system whereby the weight of the user of the parachute is cast immediately and positively and directly upon passes beneath the buttocks, which carry all the weight, avoiding giving any jerk to lo the sling that the legs or crotch, or putting any strain upon them. It is attachable to the load cords very quickly and with ease and certainty. It isadlli justsble to different sizes of the body of a wearer very easily and quickly by a system of adapters, easily reached and manipulated. As a complete construction, it forms s light and simple harness hat may be worn safely without the Q impediment of a pack, and which will make the descent comfortable and safe. Since various features of my device may be used independently, thereby giving some of the advantages of the complete construction, I do not limit myriflhts to the latter, but ever that they extend to each of the features covered by the claims.

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the harness in position. Fig. 21s a rear elevation of the harness opposite sides of the strapping where portions of the leg straps are secured to the sling portion of the harness. Fig. showsa convenient form of a combined adapter and load strap catch, Fig. 5a, a sectional view of same. and Fig. 6 a detail 01' a modified form of adapter and load strap catch, which also forms a convenient means for holding the breast strap.

The load cord catches are placed upon the front body straps I, in a position that is convenient for quicb attachment to the load cords. These catches may, and preferably are combined in a single structure, with a sliding adapting portion. This structure which I have designated as an entirety by 3. enables the varying of the positioning of the point of attachmentof the harness to theload cords to be adjusted readily, even if the latter are of uneven length. These sliding adaptersare indepehdent of the adapters l2, that regulate the total length of the main portion of the body strapping, and make it adjustable to persons of different sizes and figures.

The breast straps I 2, are sewed to these front straps l, I, and are provided with fastenings (shown as the hook 5, and eye 4). Preferably 5 these breast straps are positioned above the 2.14mi rsnscnu'm amass Samuel E. Knight, Lancaster, Pa.

in position. Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views of' PATENT OFFlC a, 1936, Serial No. mm

combined catches and adapters 3, 3, (and are of a substantially unstretching fabric). These front straps constitute, between the fastening l to the load cords and the sling 2 I, riser straps, pass directly around the hips and beneath the buttocks 6 of the wearer and, at that latter location, form the sling If. They therefore transmit directly and positively, the pull of the load cords to the sling 2!, while this pull is not transmitted except very indirectly. to the leg'straps II. The portions of 10 the strapping that pass over the shoulders and down the back of the wearer also form the belt strap and pass freely through the slides i and I carry no load, and do not interfere with the positiveness of the transmission of the pull of 15 the load cord upon the sling, which is transmitted from the load cords through the portions of the strapping extending between the parts 3, I and the sling 2| to the latter. The portions of the strapping, that extend between a fastener 3 and If! the belt 24 and each of which slides freely through the pair of slides 8 and 1, holds the ends of the leg strap ,without producing any pull on the leg portions l4. These back and belt portions receive no portion of the pull of the load cords, and 2E hence transmit no portion of it to the leg strapping l l, to which they are removably connected by the connections formed in practice by the hook m. and O ring or eye n. The positioning of these slides 8 and 1 cooperates with the parts of the so strapping passing through them to position the front straps I, I. In fact, the parts of the harness, except the portions of the front straps and the sling have no carrying functions, and remain only as positioning elements, provided the as strapping is properly adjusted.

The adjustment to fit the figure is performed by the adapters l2, on the belt strap. by which the fit of the entire harness is arranged in practice.

- The leg strappings are formed of the pieces I4,

the freeable ends of which are removably secured to the folds r, q, between the portions of the back strapping that are brought over into a position at the front of the wearer, passing freely through the slides B and I. The leg straps are secured fixedly to the sling 2|. Their length is adjustable by means of the adjusters p, p. The attachment, in practice, of the pieces I4, H, to the sling, is shown in Figs. 3 and 4, whereby each piece forming a leg strap is an integral part of the body strapping and is positioned by being sewed to the sling in a manner that, cooperating with the strapping that passes through the slides 6 and 1, prevents binding at the crotch, and strengthens the sling. The sling portion of the 66 Each piece of the strapping passing beneath the wearer that forms a leg portion (see Figs. 3 and 4) is shifted sidewise, as shown at M and M, and turned over, as shown at n, and n, and laid back on the opposite side of the remaining layer d of the sling. This layer d, is continuous. The turned over layers are marked Z and 1. These parts are then sewed firmly together, making the lowest portion of the sling very strong.

The portions of strapping forming the leg portions I, thus are sewed very strongly to each other and also to the other and integral layer of the sling. The portion of strapping forming the right leg strap is formed from the layer at the left sideof the sling, and the portion of strapping forming the left leg strap is provided from the layer at the right side of the sling.

The length of the leg portions is'adjusted by the adapters p, p. The wide slide l5, at the back of the belt, makes easy the adjustment to fit any figure by the adapters I2, I 2, at the back, and the adapters p, p, on the leg straps. The harness, is very light, the slides very readily allowing great freedom of movement. The combined adapters and load strap catches are shown in detail, in Figs. 5 and 5a. The front strap passes through the slots between the clamping bars 23, and the eye, 24, projects above the adapter portion, bending forward at an angle outward. The slides may be formed by making the body strapping of two layers built of fabric and leaving the two layers unsewed together where the slide is to be formed.

The back of the harness is a continuation of the front straps I, crossing each other and one sliding through a slide iii, in the other. The belt 26, extends across the back of the wearer,

preferably near the waist, and is formed by carrying the back strapping forward through the slides E, 6 and back through slides I, I, forming the folds r, q, in which the elements m are held.

The breast straps 30 are shown in Fig. 6, held by a loop 3i in the modified form of the combined adapter and catch 32.

I do not limit myself to the particular forms herelnbefore set forth, as many changes may be made therein without departing from my invention.

I claim:-

1. A parachute harness used in connection with a free pack having load cords to which the harness may be detachably secured, comprising a continuous strapping embracing the body of the wearer, fasteners placed on afront portion of the strapping, and detachably connecting the harness to the load cords, the strapping between these fasteners passing beneath the buttocks of the wearer and forming a sling, and having slides opposite the hips of the wearer; the strapping on the opposite side of the fasteners from the sling passing over the shoulders of the wearer and down his back and passing freely through said hip slides, forming a loop, and the end portions of said strapping being led from said slides across the back of the wearer and overlapping each other, each end of said strapping having secured to it an adapter movable along the overlapping portion of the other end of the strapping, and leg straps extending from the sling and detachably secured to the said hip loops.

2. A parachute harness as defined in claim 1, in combination with a breast strapping consisting of a pair of straps each secured to a portion of the strapping extending. downward at the front of the wearer and positioned above the fasteners connecting the harness to the load cords.

3. A parachute harness consisting of a continuous body strapping, a portion of said strapping consisting of two superimposed layers, having a portion extending down the front of the wearer and passing beneath his buttocks and forming a sling beneath the wearer, one of the said layers extending continuously along the entire length of the sling, and the other layer being discontinuous at the middle portion of the sling and forming the leg straps from its free portions, each of which free portions being deflected sidewise from the continuous layer, and- Kowazrd the back of the wearer, and folded over in a fold superposed on its said sidewlse deflected portion and also crossing and superposed on said continuous layer, and sewed securely to both, the said body strapping having also a portion extending forward at the hips of the wearer and forming a loop to which the leg straps are attached.

. 4. A parachute harness used in connection with a free pack having load cords to which the barness may be detachably secured, comprising a continuous strapping embracing the body of the wearer, fasteners placed on the front portion of the strapping, and detachably connecting the harness to the load cords, the strapping between these fasteners passing beneath the buttocks of the wearer and forming a sling, and having slides opposite the hips of the wearer; the strapping on the opposite side of the fasteners from the sling passing over the shoulders of the wearer and down his back and passing freely through said hip slides forming a loop, and the end portions of said strapping being led from said slides across the back of the wearer and overlapping each other, means forming an adjustable connection between the ends of said strapping; and leg strapping extending from said sling and detachably secured to said hip loops.

SAMUEL H. KNIGHT. 

